Computer systems and other interactive electronic products, e.g., mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), music players, etc., currently offer multiple methods for a user to provide input. In addition, assistive technology products are designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities. These assistive products allow disabled users to access other products in a manner customized to their condition. They may take the form of custom hardware deployed between the user and the product of interest, herein referred to as the target product. The hardware may act as an interface between the user and the target product, translating the inputs and outputs of both the user and the target product in order to facilitate interaction between the user and the target product.
In addition to hardware, assistive technologies may take the form of software. In this case, the assistive software may run alongside a software target, providing the interface as in the hardware case.
In many cases involving a hardware assistive product that is connected to a computer or other electronic device, the assistive technology suite may also contain a software component. In all cases, the purpose of the assistive technology product is to provide a disabled user an operable interface to a previously inaccessible product or a product of limited accessibility.
Concerning an individual interacting with a computer or other electronic device, alternative input devices allow control of the device through means other than a standard keyboard or pointing device.
Examples of assistive technologies include:
Alternative keyboards featuring larger, or smaller, than standard keys or keyboards, alternative key configurations, and keyboards for use with one hand;
Electronic pointing devices that are used to control the cursor on the screen without the use of hands. Devices used may include ultrasound, infrared beams, eye movements, nerve signals, or brain waves;
Sip-and-puff systems that are activated by inhaling or exhaling;
Wands and sticks that may be worn on the head, held in the mouth or strapped to the chin and used to press keys on the keyboard;
Joysticks that may be manipulated by hand, feet, chin, etc., and that are used to control a cursor on a screen;
Trackballs featuring movable balls on top of a base that may be used to move a cursor on a screen;
Touch screens that allow direct selection or activation of the device by touching the screen thereby making it easier to select an option directly rather than through a mouse movement or keyboard. Touch screens are either built into the computer monitor or may be added onto a computer monitor;
Braille embossers that transfer computer generated text into embossed Braille output. Braille translation programs convert text scanned-in or generated via standard word processing programs into Braille, which can be printed on the embosser;
Keyboard filters that provide typing aids, such as word prediction utilities and add-on spelling checkers, that reduce the required number of keystrokes. Keyboard filters enable users to quickly access the letters they need and to avoid inadvertently selecting keys they don't intend to select;
Light signalers that alert monitor computer sounds and alert the computer user with light signals. Such mechanisms may be useful when a computer user can not hear computer sounds or is not directly in front of the computer screen. As an example, a light may flash thereby alerting the user when a new e-mail message has arrived or a computer command has completed;
On-screen keyboards that provide an image of a standard or modified keyboard on the computer screen that allows the user to select keys with a mouse, touch screen, trackball, joystick, switch, or electronic pointing device. On-screen keyboards often have a scanning option that highlights individual keys that may be selected by the user. On-screen keyboards are helpful for individuals who are not able to use a standard keyboard due to dexterity or mobility difficulties;
Reading tools and learning disabilities programs that include software and hardware designed to make text-based materials more accessible for people who have difficulty with reading. Options may include scanning, reformatting, navigating, or speaking text out loud. These programs are helpful for those who have difficulty seeing or manipulating conventional print materials, people who are developing new literacy skills or who are learning English as a foreign language, and people who comprehend better when they hear and see text highlighted simultaneously;
Refreshable Braille displays that provide tactile output of information represented on the device screen. A Braille “cell” is composed of a series of dots. The pattern of the dots and various combinations of the cells are used in place of letters. Refreshable Braille displays mechanically lift small rounded plastic or metal pins as needed to form Braille characters. The user reads the Braille letters with his or her fingers, and then, after a line is read, can refresh the display to read the next line;
Screen enlargers, or screen magnifiers, that work like a magnifying glass for the device by enlarging a portion of the screen which can increase legibility and make it easier to see items on the computer. Some screen enlargers allow a person to zoom in and out on a particular area of the screen;
Screen readers that are used to verbalize, or “speak,” everything on the screen including text, graphics, control buttons, and menus into a computerized voice that is spoken aloud. In essence, a screen reader transforms a graphic user interface (GUI) into an audio interface. Screen readers are essential for computer users who are blind;
Speech recognition or voice recognition programs that allow people to give commands and enter data using their voices rather than a mouse or keyboard. Voice recognition systems use a microphone attached to the computer, which can be used to create text documents, such as letters or e-mail messages, browse the Internet, and navigate among applications and menus by voice;
Text-to-Speech (TTS), or speech synthesizers, that receive information be conveyed to the screen in the form of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and then “speak” it out loud in a computerized voice. Using speech synthesizers allows computer users who are blind or who have learning difficulties to hear what they are typing and also provide a spoken voice for individuals who can not communicate orally, but can communicate their thoughts through typing;
Talking and large-print word processors comprising software programs that use speech synthesizers to provide auditory feedback of what is typed. Large-print word processors allow the user to view everything in large text without added screen enlargement; and
TTY/TDD conversion modems that are connected between electronic devices and telephones to allow an individual to type a message on an electronic device and send it to a TTY/TDD telephone or other Baudot equipped device;
Many companies have declared a commitment to accessibility. For example, accessibility features are built into many of Microsoft's products, from operating systems such as Windows Vista, that include an Ease of Access Center to software applications, and Microsoft Word that includes zoom and auto-correct features. The Apple Macintosh OSX platform is compatible with many assistive technology products.
An example assistive technology for mobile phones is deployed on the Google Android G1 phone that features a magnification mechanism that is beneficial to individuals with vision impairments. Once activated, ‘+’ and ‘−’ signs appear on the bottom of the screen allowing the user to enlarge or reduce the page. In addition, a double click of the scroll wheel allows the user to move a “magnification square” that magnifies the portion beneath it.
The Linux operating system may be run through a non-graphical, text-only environment or through a graphical user interface. The non-graphical interface is useful for visually impaired individuals because, with the help of a screen reader and speech synthesizer, they can have access to the full functionality of the system. Also, for the graphical interface, different windowing systems, such as KDE or GNOME, have accessibility projects.
Despite the obvious benefits given by the current assistive technology products, the goal of many disabled individuals is independence, and these products may require significant assistance from able-bodied individuals in order for proper configuration for a given disabled individual. In addition, an individual's disability is frequently varied from day to day. Thus, a given configuration may be appropriate one day but less than optimal the next day. This variability may be caused by natural day-to-day fluctuations in the individual's condition, caused by a gradual reduction in a user's abilities due to a degenerative condition, or caused by a gradual improvement in a user's abilities due, for example, to increased muscle tone thanks to daily practice using the assistive devices. In these variable cases, the disabled individual might not have the capability to reconfigure the assistive technology device without assistance.
Therefore, what is needed is a mechanism that overcomes the described problems and limitations.